Lumber Liquidators to pay regulators $33 million in flooring scandal settlement
March 12, 2019, Reuters
Lumber Liquidators Holdings Inc has agreed to pay a $33 million criminal penalty to settle federal charges it misled investors about the safety of its laminate flooring made in China and sold to U.S. customers. The settlements announced by the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday came four years after Lumber Liquidators was alleged to be selling products with illegally high levels of formaldehyde, a known carcinogen.
Johnson & Johnson must pay $29 million to California woman who blamed baby powder for cancer
March 14, 2019, Los Angeles Times
Johnson & Johnson must pay about $29 million to a dying California woman who blamed asbestos-tainted talc for causing her cancer. The jury decision is the company’s latest loss in nationwide litigation over its iconic baby powder. Jurors in state court in Oakland held J&J responsible for Teresa Leavitt’s mesothelioma, a cancer linked to asbestos exposure. The panel, which included a lawyer and a state court judge, also found that the world’s largest maker of healthcare products didn’t warn Leavitt that its baby powder was tainted with the carcinogen.
CPSC Acting Chair Buerkle’s priorities include IoT furniture safety
March 14, 2019, JD Supra (Morrison and Foerster)
At a recent product safety conference, Ann Marie Buerkle, Acting Chair of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), announced CPSC’s priorities for 2019. These include technology—both for consumers and within the agency—as well as window coverings and furniture tipover. Buerkle surprised the audience with a stern warning that any clothing storage not complying with ASTM’s F2057-17 standard will be deemed to have a defect that could pose a substantial product hazard.
Baby mattresses seized in Hong Kong over infant cot death fears after brands fail consumer watchdog tests
March 14, 2019, South China Morning Post
Customs officers in Hong Kong seized four types of cot mattresses after tests initiated by the city’s consumer watchdog revealed a risk of suffocation, because they were not firm enough. While the Customs and Excise Department urged parents to pick mattresses with appropriate firmness, it did not name the brand or make of the seized products. In a report released by the Consumer Council on Thursday, it said four out of eight cot mattresses it tested had failed to meet European safety requirements.
EPA bans deadly paint stripper chemical from consumer use, doesn’t ban commercial use
March 15, 2019, U.S. News and World Report
The Environmental Protection Agency on announced that it would ban consumer use of a chemical in paint strippers that has reportedly been linked to dozens of deaths in the past four decades. The final rule bans the manufacture, import and distribution of consumer products with the chemical, methylene chloride. It does not apply to commercial use, however.
Sutton: Anna Karetnikova showed callous disregard, said judge
March 15, 2018, Guardian
A Sutton mum who showed a “callous disregard” for children after being caught selling fake superhero costumes online has been spared jail. Anna Karetnikova, who operated as an Amazon and eBay business seller from her home in Osborne Place, was convicted after being prosecuted by the council’s trading standards team. One of the mum-of-two’s fancy dress costumes had a “sharp piece of wire” puncturing the fabric, which could have caused a “severe” eye injury.
U.S. SEC sues Volkswagen ex-CEO over alleged emissions fraud on investors
March 15, 2019, Reuters
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is suing Volkswagen (VW) and its former chief executive Martin Winterkorn over the German automaker’s diesel emissions scandal, alleging a “massive fraud” on U.S. investors. VW was caught using illegal software to cheat U.S. pollution tests in 2015, triggering a global backlash against diesel that and has so far cost it 29 billion euros (£24.78 billion).
Five ways companies can be nimble
May 17, 2018, Knowledge at Wharton
Companies need to become intelligence-driven, and that is achieved by understanding and acting upon five types of agility, notes Baba Prasad, CEO of the Vivékin Group, a management consulting firm in Durham, N.C., and in India. He discusses these concepts in his book Nimble: Make Yourself and Your Company Resilient in the Age of Constant Change. Prasad spoke with Knowledge@Wharton about his book in a recent interview.
Internet of Things: Proposed federal legislation and potential federal vs. state conflict
March 15, 2019, The National Law Review (Drinker Biddle and Reath)
Legislation aimed at improving the security of devices that are part of the Internet of Things was introduced in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives this week. The Internet of Things (IoT) Cybersecurity Improvement Act of 2019 would establish standards for federal government agencies that purchase IoT devices for use by the federal government. The proposed law, spearheaded by Senators Mark Warner (D. VA), Cory Gardner (R. CO), Maggie Hassan (D. NH), and Steve Daines (R. MT), would call on the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop standards addressing, at a minimum, secure development, identity management, patching, and configuration of IoT devices.
Smart products and consumer concerns
March 15, 2019, Deccan Herald
Over the years, the issues bothering consumers have diversified and multiplied. New technologies have changed the entire life style of the consumers. The recent addition is smart products and devices. Smart products connect to each other and to the internet via different communication connections. They offer consumers the promise of convenience, efficiency and personalised services. For consumers in developing countries, smart products, particularly smart phones, are a boon.
